Removable oven liner



May 22, 1962 R. c. ALLEN, JR 3,036,193

REMOVABLE OVEN LINER Filed Oct. 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I88 I 2a 2 34 s2 I26 52 48 mg 40 )l X Fl 9. 2o

INVENTOR. Robe/f C A//en,Jr.

H/s Attorney May 22, 1962 R. c. ALLEN, JR

REMOVABLE OVEN LINER .4 SheeCs-Shet 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1959 INVENTOR.

J M y n e m m 0 H C A m .6 b H 0 R W/ mm W///// May 22, 1962 R. c. ALLEN, JR

REMOVABLE OVEN LINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 14, 1959 N 9 INVENTOR. Raber/ 6. Allen, Jr.

His A/forney H N l l l l l v May 22, 1962 R. C. ALLEN, JR

REMOVABLE OVEN LINER Filed Oct. 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

MWM

H is A Home] United This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to an improved removable liner for an oven.

One of the most disagreeable tasks facing a housewife is the cleaning of a badly soiled oven. The assignees copending application Serial No. 767,426, filed October 15, 1958, teaches a method whereby an oven liner may be removed from the range casing to facilitate cleaning thereof. In this copending application the removable liner carries both oven heating elements and is designed to rest on a horizontally pivoted oven door during the cleaning operation. This feature has been widely accepted by the public; and it is the purpose of this invention :to provide an improved removable liner for any oven and more particularly for an oven closed by a pair of vertically pivoted or French doors.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a French door type oven with a removable liner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a removable liner for an oven having French doors which support the liner in its removed position for cleaning.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a removable oven liner which is adjustably spring-biased into its closed or stored position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a thermostatic bulb support assembly for a removable liner which is equipped with means to prevent pivotal movement of such assembly.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an oven compartment with a removable liner, wherein the heating element for said liner remains in said compartment.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of a sealing arrangement for a door-closed oven compartment having a removable liner, wherein said liner is recessed to permit sealing between said door and said compartment.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings;

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a French-door type range provided with the removable liner of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view partly in elevation taken along line 2-2 in FIGURE 3 to show the liner in slidably supported relationship to the oven supported heating unit;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view partly in elevation taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 2;

I FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating the manner in which the liner is supported for cleaning by the oven doors;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary composite elevational view showing the latching and stop arrangement for the oven liner of this invention;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view partly in elevation taken generally along line 6-6 in FIGURE 7 to show the anti-turn arrangement for the oven thermostatic bulb support assembly; and

FIGURE 7. is a fragmentary elevational view with parts brokenaway to show the anti-turn arrangement of FIGURE 6.

atent l ce In accordance with this invention and with reference to FIGURE 1, an electric range 10 is shown having a control portion 12, a surface cooking unit portion 14 and a range casing 16 which defines generally an oven chamber or compartment 18 and a storage portion 20. The oven compartment 18 has a front opening 22 which is adapted to receive a removable oven liner shown generally at 24. For closing the opening 22 when the liner 24 is stored Within the oven compartment 18 is a pair of doors 26, 28 which are vertically hingedly mounted at 30, 32, respectively. When the liner 24 is pulled from the oven compartment 18 by grasping a pull-out handle 34, there is exposed a top opening 36 in the liner through which access may be gained to a rear wall 38, a bottom wall 46 and sidewalls 42 and 44 for cleaning. In the aforementioned copending application, the extended liner 24 rested upon the oven door which could be opened to a horizontally extended position. With the vertically hinged double door or French door type of oven shown in FIGURE 1 the support for the oven liner 24 is provided by a pair of hook or catch members 46, 48 attached to the oven doors. Corresponding loops or brackets 52, 54 are adapted to overlie or engage the hooks when the liner 24 is withdrawn from the oven compartment and serve the additional function of slidably loeating the front end of the liner within the oven compartment.

The manner in which the oven compartment 22 is sealed may be seen generally in FIGURE 1 and more particularly in FIGURE 3 wherein a bulged out portion 56 circumscribes and defines the oven opening 22 and is adapted to cooperate with a seal 58 and a seal 60 on the oven doors 26, 28 respectively. When the doors 26 and 28 are closed, the seals fit in heat retaining relationship to the bulge 56 and with each other along the outer edge portion 62, 64 which lie in juxtaposition when the French doors are closed.

Reference may now be had to FIGURES 2 and 3 for a full and clear understanding of the construction for the oven compartment 18 and liner 24. In the area of the oven compartment, the range 10 is comprised of a range side panel "66 and 68. In spaced relationship to the side panels is an outer insulation retainer 70, which substantially circumscribes the oven compartment. An inner insulation retainer 72 is separated from the outer retainer 70 by a layer of insulation 74. This inner insulation retainer 72 is of one-piece wrap-around construction and is formed with side walls 76, 78 which are turned over and terminated at 80 and 82 to define the lower limits of the oven compartment 18. A top wall 84 of the insulation retainer 72 is recessed at 86 to recive the broil unit support "housing 88, which may be screwed thereto. Within the support housing 88 any conventional heating element such as the electrical broil unit 90 may be secured as by brackets 91. Note that the heating element 90 overlies the opening 36 in the oven liner in closely adjacent heat radiating relationship. Note also that the support housing 88 is provided with a down-turned peripheral flange 92 which directs the heat substantially into the open top '36 of the liner and acts also to minimize heat leakage from the liner during baking operations. In FIGURE 3 the heating element 90 is shown connected with an electrical terminal block 93 which extends into the oven compartment 18 and is also carried by a range back panel 94. The heating element 90, as well as its reflecting support housing 88, remains fixed to the top wall 84 of the insulation retainer defining the oven compartment 18 so that the liner 24 may be removed from the oven compartment without removing the heating element. Completing the oven compartment 18 is a rear insulation retainer panel 96. Fastened by screws at each side of the panel 96 is a stop bracket 98. This pair of stop brackets engages the rear wall 380i the oven liner'to limit the rearward movement of the liner into the oven compartment.

The manner in which the oven liner 24 is supported in its sliding-movement into and out of the oven compartment may be seen best in FIGURE 3. The liner 24 has its front opening 108 defined by a circumferential, radi ally directed flange 102 which is spaced approximately inch from the rangecompartment opening 22. This spacing sufliciently prevents the interchange of convection currents between the ovenliner and oven compartment and thereby maintains better heat distribution. At the bottom center of the oven compartment opening 22 a bracket 104 is secured and offset downwardly to form a shoulder 106 to which is fastened one end of a generally U-shaped slide channel 188. The opposite end of the slide channel extends through a centrally located opening in the oven compartment wall 96 and the range back panel 94 and is thereby solidly positioned to form a track or guide for governing the movement of the liner. At the front of the oven compartment a liner support bracket such as 110 is afiixed at each side to the bottom of the compartment opening and provides a bearing surface on which the bottom Wall 40 of the liner 24 may slide. The rearward end of the liner 24 carries a guide mounting plate 112 to which is secured, as by a fastening means 114, a guide and latch channel member shown generally at 116. The guide and latch channel 116 will be described more fully hereinafter. However, suffice it for this explanation to state that it is formed complementary to the guide channel .108 and is embossed outwardly at 1 1 8 and 1 20 to provide a linear bearing contact surface or protuberance which glides within the guide channel 108 while supporting the rearward end of the oven liner 24. When the oven liner is disposed in a position within the oven compartment, an opening 126 in the rear wall 38 thereof is adapted to receive the terminal connector block 128 which is secured in any conventional manner between the rear wall96 of the oven compartment and the range back panel 94. After the liner is pushed inwardly, a bake unit such as the electric heating element 130 may easily be inserted into the terminal block 1128 while resting on the bottom wall 40 of the liner. Thus, with the oven liner in its innermost position, the heating element for broiling is disposed immediately above the opening 36 in the top of the liner while the bake unit heating element rests in a position along the bottom of the liner. It should be recognized that only the bake unit '130 need be removed when the liner is withdrawn for cleaning-the upper unit 90 remaining in place in its support housing 88 at the top of the oven compartment 18.

The guide and latch channel 116 is more completely shown in FIGURE 5. This guide member consists of a generally U-shaped piece having a channel bottom wall 132, sidewalls 134 and 136 at the upper end of which are out-turned flanges 138 and 140; As referred to hereinbefore, the embossments 118 and 120 are pressed outwardly from the channel bottom 132 and the sides 134 and 136 to form the bearing surface which makes contact with the walls of the guide channel 188. In order to allow a limited amount of relative movement between the guide member 116 and the liner 24, the guide mounting plate 112 is formed with elongated slots 142 and 144. Conventional fastening means, such as a bolt 146, are inserted through the elongated openings and into engagement with the respective flanges 140 and 138 of the guide member 116.

The adjustment permitted by the elongated slots 142, 144 is provided to position the latching mechanism to hold the liner 24 fully and tightly within the oven compartment 18. The latching arrangement of this invention utilizes an integral sheet metal bolt portion or tonguelike projection 148 which is merely a continuation of the bottom wall 132 of the guide member. Latching recesses or cutouts 156, 157 are formed at each side of the projection. When the liner 24 is in its stored or innermost posif tion, the bolt portion 148 projects between a. pair of rollers 150, 152, biased by aspring 154 into engagement with the cutout portions 156, 157 on the bolt member 148. Pivotally supporting the roller 152 is a pin 153 in a channel member or latch arm 158 which is pivotally carried by a rearwardly opening U-shaped bracket 160 secured to the range back panel 94. Similarly, the roller is carried on a pin in a U-shaped channel or latch arm 162 pivotally supported on another U-shaped bracket 164 on the range back panel. Extensions 149, 151 are'formed on the arms 158, 162, respectively, and adapted to underlie the flanges 140, 138 on the guide channel 116. Thus, the latch arms or roller support levers 158 and 162 are pivotallymounted on the range back panel and biased toward each other by a spring 154. Each end of the spring 154 may be aflixed to a downward extension 159 of the roller pins 153, 155. As the latch bolt member 148 passes between the rollers, the rollers separate to pass the enlarged part of the bolt, returning together within the cutout area 156, 157 to latch the liner into the oven compartment. Note that the rollers 150 and 152 bear against the side of the notches 156 and 157 remote from the oven'liner 24. This places a continuous bias in a rearward direction on the liner and forces the rear wall 38 thereof into engagement with the stop bracket 98, thereby to positively position the liner within the oven compartment. If the liner does not rest solidly against the stop 98, the adjusting bolts such as 146 may be repositioned in the slots 142', 144 until the desired relationship is obtained. V

The thermostatic bulb support assembly for maintain- .ing a desired temperature within the oven liner is shown generally at 17 0 in FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 is a sectional view through the liner as it is disposed within the oven compartment and shows the thermostatic bulb support assembly as comprised of an assembly support rod 172 fastened as by a nut 174 to the range back panel 94. A Washer 173 and staked portion 171 effect a solid backing for tightening the nut. [A thermally responsive bulb 17-6 is carried in spaced relationship to the rod 172 by a plurality of brackets 178. A capillary tube extends from the bulb and passes through an opening 197 at the rear of the oven liner on its way to any conventional control member. At the outer or front end of the support rod 172, a transverse slide bracket or tab 182 is affixed (FIGURE 7). This bracket 182 has an aperture 184 through which a slide rod 186 slidably extends. This slide rod 186 is attached at 188 to the pull-out handle 34 and extends rearwardly' through the oven, passing through a port 190 in the rear wall 38 of the oven liner. Thus, when the oven liner is withdrawn, the slide rod 186 moves with the liner and slidesrelatively to the support rod 172 within the opening 184 of thebracket 1 82.

It is important that the thermostatic bulb support assembly 170' be prevented from rotating to protect the capillary tubing. For this purpose and with reference to FIGURES 6 and 7, an L-shaped rod 194 is fastened as by welding to the support rod 172 at 196 with an anti-turn lock portion projecting rearwardly. A'n'aperture 199 is placed in the insulation retainer at the rear of the oven compartment to cooperate with the lock portion 195. As the assembly 170 is positioned within the oven, the support rod 172 extends through an opening 198'in the rear insulation retainer 96 and into engagement with the range back panel 94 Where it is fastened as described hereinbefore. -At the time of insertion, the anti-turn device 194 is positioned to locate the rearwardly extending portion 195 in the opening 199. Thus, the thermostat assembly is prevented from turning by the fact that one element, the anti-turn rod 195, extends through an aperture 199 while another element, the support rod 172, extends through the opening 198--both openings being in a common panel 96.

It should now be seen that an improved oven liner 24 has been designed which seats positively within an oven compartment 18. The outer flange 102 of the liner is recessed from the bulged front opening edge 56 of the oven compartment, thereby to provide a positively fixed sealing edge against which the doors 26 and 28 can sealingly close. A seal such as 58 may have a support portion 200 retained between an intermediate panel 202 and a rear panel 204 of the oven door and is adapted to place an enlarged portion 206 just outwardly of the bulge 56 forming the opening of the oven compartment. The seal 58 has one portion 62 which also bears against a similar seal portion 64 on the opposite door, these seal portions projecting slightly toward each other along the juxtaposed edges of the closed oven doors. Since the flange 102 of the oven liner is recessed from the sealing edge 56 of the oven compartment on which the doors seal, it is not necesary to align the front of the liner with reference to the seal to provide proper oven heat retention.

The improved removable oven liner arrangement of this invention also contemplates a top or upper broil heating element 90 which is afiixed relative to the oven compartment and disposed immediately above a permanent opening 36 in the liner, thereby to radiate its heat effectively into the oven liner without permitting undue release of heaed air from the liner. An improved latching arrangement has been provided which is concealed from the front of the range and requires no manual unlocking procedure to remove the liner. The improved latch is adjustable to effect a constant rearward bias to the liner, thereby to retain it in a firmly seated position within the oven compartment. A novel arrangement has also been provided for positioning and supporting the oven liner on vertically pivoted doors While the liner is in its removed position for cleaning. A further improvement to the removable liner is directed to the thermostatic bulb support assembly wherein an anti-turn device has been installed to prevent relative rotational movement which could damage the capillary component of the thermally responsive bulb.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination, a range casing having an oven compartment provided with a rear wall and a front opening, a removable liner in said compartment, said liner having an access opening at the top thereof, a heating unit attached to said casing and overlying said access opening, a slide channel affixed to said casing, a guide channel affixed to said liner and having a first portion in said slide channel for slidably supporting one portion of said liner between a first position within the said compartment and a second position outside of said compartment, means on said casing for slidably supporting another portion of said liner, said casing having a pair of pivotally mounted latch brackets, a roller on each of said brackets, a bolt member on said guide channel between said rollers when said liner is in said first position, means for biasing said rollers toward each other to retain said bolt member, and means on said rear Wall for limiting the sliding movement of said liner into said compartment.

2. A thermostatic bulb support assembly for a liner removable from an oven comprising, a guide rod atfixed to said liner, a support rod afiixed to said oven, said support rod having a transverse tab having a port through which said guide rod slidably extends, a thermostatic bulb carried by said support rod, an anti-turn bracket afiixed to said support rod and extending through an aperture in said oven for preventing pivotal movement of said assembly.

3. A thermostatic bulb support assembly for a liner removable from an oven compartment having a rear wall and a back panel spaced from said rear wall comprising, a guide rod affixed to said liner, a support rod affixed to said back panel, said support rod having a transverse tab having a port through which said guide rod slidably extends, a thermostatic bulb carried by said support rod, a capillary tube connected to said bulb and extending through said rear wall, an L-shaped anti-turn bracket fastened to said support rod and extending through an aperture in said rear wall for preventing twisting movement of said capillary tube.

4. A thermostatic bulb support assembly for a liner removable from an oven comprising, a guide rod affixed to said liner, a support rod atfixed to said oven, said support rod having means through which said guide rod slidably extends, a thermostatic bulb carried by said support rod, an anti-turn bracket affixed to said support rod and extending through an aperture in said oven for preventing pivotal movement of said assembly.

5. A thermostatic bulb support assembly for a liner removable from an oven comprising, a guide rod affixed to said liner, a support rod member aifixed to said oven, said support rod having means through which said guide rod slidably extends, a thermostatic bulb member carried by said support rod, an anti-turn bracket affixed to one of said members and extending through an aperture in said oven for preventing pivotal movement of said assembly.

6. In combination, a range casing having an oven compartment provided with a rear wall and a front opening, a removable liner in said compartment, said liner having an access opening at the top thereof, a heating unit attached to said casing and overlying said access opening, a slide channel aflixed to said casing, a guide channel atfixed to said liner and having a first portion in said slide channel for slidably supporting one portion of said liner between a first position within the said compartment and a second position outside of said compartment, means on said casing for slidably supporting another portion of said liner, said casing having a pair of pivotally mounted latch brackets, a roller on each of said brackets, a bolt member on said guide channel between said rollers when said liner is in said first position, and means for biasing said rollers toward each other to retain said bolt member.

7. In combination with an oven having a substantially vertically pivoted door movable between closed and open positions, a source of energy, means including a heat sensing device for controlling said energy source, a removable liner having a cooking position in said oven when said door is in said closed position and a cleaning position outside of said oven when said door is in said open position, said liner comprising rear, side and bottom walls and having a top aperture, and a heating element connected to said source of energy and supported to overlie said top aperture when said liner occupies said cooking position, said aperture providing access to the rear, side and bottom walls for cleaning purposes when said liner is in said cleaning position, and means including a catch on said door and a bracket on said liner selectively engageable with said catch for supporting the front end of said liner when said liner is in said cleaning position.

8. In combination with an oven having a substantially vertically pivoted door movable between closed and open positions, a source of energy, a removable liner having a cooking position in said oven when said door is in said closed position and a cleaning position outside of said oven when said door is in said open position, said liner comprising rear, side and bottom walls and having a top aperture, and a heating element connected to said source of energy and supported in heat transfer relationship to said liner when said liner occupies said cooking position, said aperture providing access to the rear, side and bottom walls for cleaning purposes when said liner is in said cleaning position, and catch means including a first portion on said door and a second portion on said liner selectively engageable with said first portion for supporting the front end of said liner when said liner is in said cleaning position.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Tinne Aug. 9, 1887 Carlson Feb. 16, 1915 5 Carlson Apr. 27, 1915 Rogers et a1. Dec. 24, 1929 Smith Mar. 31, 1931 Harsh Aug. 14, 1934 Dadson May 10, 1938 10 Kahn Oct. 11, 1938 Rutenber Apr. 7, 1942 Cossin Sept. 24, .1946

Reeves Nov. 4, 1947 Stanitz May 18, 1948 Pierson Dec. 21, .1948 Burt June 14, 19.49 White Dec. 26, 1950 Evans June 19, 1956 Philipp' July 1, 1958 Kirschke Nov. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria Aug. 10, 1922 Great Britain Nov; 26, 1931 

